Perhaps fear drives out compassion, or twists it
like licorice, with twice the bite, the older brother

angry and jealous at the affection of one that would

stray, run away---when a father offers hugs

and throws a great banquet---the trouble though comes

sitting by the window, waiting for them to re-turn

remembering & re-playing all the reasons
for their leaving

& when you eat this poem, chew it, like gum,
really masticate it until all the flavor is gone,
then blow bubbles as we did as kids,
when monsters lived under our beds and some---
were even friends---then

put down the brands & pitchforks
and take a look at yourself, take a look at...

Today at dVerse Poets, I have the privilege of inviting Aaron Kent in as a guest host. He sent me an idea to honor someone that passed this week that definitely touched my childhood through his art and books. Between the passing of Sendak and MCA this week...my adolescence is vanishing before my eyes. And of course I could not help sticking my nose into the political arena.

If the Secret Service is reading, I am coming no where near the stadium where Romney is speaking today. So relax. Smiles.

86 comments:

Masticating poetry is one way to keep your teeth strong...which is one weapon the secret service will never suspect unless of course they read the comment section but even then it's Romney trying to bite you not the other way round.

Now says I your youth is passing off into the reaches of memory but i calls bullshit on that one the characters in the stories may change but you have kids of your own so youth will be with you at least another decade or so yet Sonny.

It's also not sticking your nose in when someone is trying to tax that appendage off your face.

Your poem is a good reminder of the importance of being able to love the one you want to without fear; and also a reminder that often the monsters in the world are much more frightening than any monsters an artist such as Sendak could create, 'monsters' that children are smart enough to FREELY love!

i always liked the really ugly ones much more than those with a shining surface who are constantly telling others how to live their life..and i always liked the prodigal son much more than the one who stayed at home, doing his duty. you can't hide any more the moment you're eating with the pics..i like this a lot bri..i would love to cite a few lines that i liked especially but (wipes her mouth..) just ate the whole poem...so.. and it tasted very real..smiles

& when you eat this poem, chew it, like gum, really masticate it until all the flavor is gone, then blow bubbles as we did as kids, when monsters lived under our beds and some--- were even friends---then

put down the brands & pitchforks and take a look at yourself, take a look at

You gave the cat the runsWhat do you put in your verse buns?..lolIs guess he wasn't supposed to swallow itBut he did as bubbles he could not spitTrue as always at your shoreOne can exploreAnd find what they want or needBut be afriad to tell those close at their feedOut of fearOr knowing they won't give a cheerSad stateFor such a fate

great tribute Brian- I loved this book...was a total chunk of my childhood....I like the political context you put it in, commenting on The authors sexual orientation - how the book was banned- and just a whole load of craziness around what is essentially a really harmless book that just reflects how children use their imaginations....you spun some awesome lines in this tho for sure....if only we could bottle that feeling of childhood innocence and imagination- as an adult- I'd be wanting to take a cheeky swig out of it every day

Wonderful poem.He was with his partner for 50 years before his partner passed away, and I remember reading somewhere that he never told his parents he was gay as - like you said - he didn't want to dissapoint them.It's hard to watch heroes (such as Maurice and even the creations he made: Max etc.) pass away, but some - like Maurice - stay strong through all the controversies and never cut the sorry figure we see of people who had it and lost it. He was - and always will be - truely great (just like this poem).

You're in a corner of my brain. I've been trying for months (and esp. hard for days) to write a post on homosexuality, and seem like--no matter how hard I try--the words don't come out the way I would like. I really like your poem, though. I wasn't a huge Sendak fan but smiled in knowing some kid liked The Wild Thing so much that he ate it. Did you like the movie? (I wanted to but really didn't?)

Such a great shame he couldn't be who he truly was for his mum and dad. It would have made his life so much easier if he could have truly been who he was.This is lovely Brian. Accepting of people just as they are, warts n all.Fabulous read.

You ask the question of what is like to not be able to be yourself with those who should love you and accept you for who you are. I have sympathy for anyone who does not feel comfortable being himself. For I am someone who learned to accept myself as I had always accepted others.

How many of us could put a word in that one sentence "I always wanted to be __________ so my parents would be happy.

I figure we're all probably on every no-fly list ever put together, Poet...comes with the territory, doesn't it. This is fantastic,and wouldn't be you without some of your awesome between the line digs at the one lucky enough to come under your pens radar...One Love MUST include the love of the wild things, and the brilliant mind that helps us find our way to them.

"The problem with prodigalsis you never know they are until they are and come back, like Max, realizing where love resides..."Hi! Brian...Your [very] poetic words today are very eclectic...addresses a myriad Of issues. Tks, for sharing the image...too!

Sendak once replied to a child's letter with a personal original Wild Thing picture the mother sending him, 'Jim liked it so much he ate it.'

sad week for hip-hop and imagination for sure and as far as that rights thing...kinda funny how some people cant stand government playing any role in business, but they cant stand government not playing a role in peoples personal decisions....kinda funny, don't you think?

Years ago I stood with several gay friends at the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade, watching families march by with a banner that said, "We love our gay and lesbian children." With tears in his eyes, the man standing next to me said, "I would give anything to see my parents in that group."

My oldest friend, with whom I shared everything for 55 of our 59 birthdays, had her partner of a decade split around the same time my husband did. Only she was working at a time and in a place where her being a lesbian was never spoken of. Where she had to wear a dress to "pass," which she pointed out really did not work with the sneakers that were her constant footwear.

But her partner left for a 21 year old student, just as my husband left for a 21 year old student. Only at work, all she could say was that her housemate had left. No one seemed to care or give voice that what she was enduring was precisely what I had to go through.

Your poem made me remember her heartache. It made me remember that much HAS changed, but not everything. Oh, no, not by a long shot.

A week of loss, most definitely, but as always, Brian, you create a piece that leaves us with something yummy to chew on. Thank you for this.

I chew, but the flavor is still there along with the friendly monsters. How I wish the adults in children's lives (and in co-workers' lives) would show them how to befriend rather than fear the world straight or gay or the many shades in between. Un-monster the world.

So much in your poem that resonates today... as does The Wild Things...we need to be able to love ourselves and others without fear and give everyone the opportunity to share their love with the world even if doesn't fit within traditional conventions...

Brian,I'm called upon to comment again after seeing d'Verse Poetics. It's a great tribute to Sendak. Not privileged of knowing him. But he cleverly managed to weave 'Wild Things' around children. That's amazing. Thanks for sharing! Great write!

To see through the eyes of children....if only we could still do that sometimes. I do think at times our fears root out the compassion we might otherwise have for many situations. Interesting write today.

Maurice Sendak is one of my heroes. His books don't talk down to kids. They are honest, which is probably why adults are so scared of them. In an interview, he said that the best thing parents can do for their kids is to "love them." When asked what this meant, he said simply, "Accept them." He will be missed. Great tribute.

My mind is chewing away at your words. My dead son was gay, and yes he died of cmplications due to his HIV status. Didn't make me love him less, didn't make him a bad person. Unfortunately it did not make him a good person, either. My grieving has been complicated for many reasons, but his sexual preferance was not one of them. They (the infamous they) say that good came come from any circumstance, but I am not convinced that it is so.

To only take everything in by eating, we'll be too busy tasting and digesting to be carrying pitchforks. Another thought that comes to me from reading this poem: How much do we try something with different senses before we decide what it is.

Amazing poetry, Brian! I love the fear twisting licorice part and the chewing of this poem completely...chewing gum. You touched on many deep and important topics in this and I leave feeling sad but also glad that people, like you, are willing to speak up. :)

I like how this morphs from a tribute to Sendak to a reminder and reflection on how fear dominates the political scene in this country. People must wake up to the fact that fear takes on many shapes and is often just a bogey man, whose existence only thrives on their lack of courage, which itself should originate in courage. What is different about children and adults and the imagination is that the fears and imaginings of adults can have disastrous effects on the lives of many others. It can also create and perpetuate injustice. Your poem displays that emotional insight that will often sway the prejudices of others and help them abandon those prejudices.

Can only echo what others have already said, and just add that I love how your voice really comes through in this.Even though I have never heard you speak you have a way of writing that I truly hear. nicely done.

Very well-written. I think it's quite possible to separate appreciation of someone's remarkable work, and approval or rejection of their chosen way of life. For example, Byron wrote some great poems, but I don't think anyone should follow his example of how to live.

He loved it so much he ate it...so very fitting, I'm not surprised Sendak felt honoured by the action. I read his obit in the Guardian last week. He was one of my favourite author illustrators of all time. Where the Wild Things Are has not a word out of place, and the pictures will live on forever. So GOOD!